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Sunday, June 15, 2014

Fave memories of my dad

Happy Father's Day everyone! While I won't see my dad today or even talk to him since I'm traveling through Europe, I did think it'd be appropos to share some of my fave memories of my dad. Maybe someday these will end up as part of a scrapbook layout or several layouts or a mini-album. Now, there's an idea...

Side note - I made the list and then went looking for pics to support the stories. It's amazing how many pics I found immediately that supported those stories...

1. The time he went for a run and pretended to have a heart attack upon his return (his second wife really didn't find this one very funny)

(Dad's second wife Barbara, me, and Dad in 1977)

2. Playing logic games in the car on our way to his house or to my grandmother's house
3. The time he came to my defense in a drive-in parking lot with a pair of nun-chuks (is that what those li'l martial arts sticks are called?) and a big attitude
4. The time we argued about my leopard bikini and my leather miniskirt - (it was 1984, people)
5. Winning against him for the first time in our family word game, PIG
6. When he called me about taking in Spud and Sugar (mini-doxies) because his third wife wanted to have them euthanized out of spite during their divorce- it was the first time I ever heard him cry

(Pictured here with Spud and Sugar)

7. Camping throughout the state of KY when I was growing up (I hated it)
8. Winning the father-daughter lookalike contest at his church when I was about 10
9. When he screamed in pain from a closet as his second wife stitched up my fave ripped teddy bear, Ralphie
10. His boss presenting me with the Philip Morris scholarship (worth like 10k) when I was a senior and how proud my dad was of me for that & subsequently a pic of him, his mom, and me together is a fave too

(My grandmother, Dorothy, me senior year, and my dad)

11. Dad driving all night from NC to be here for the birth of my daughter
12. "At least we have all of our limbs" - it's a sick, sick joke
13. Dad being inducted into the hall of fame at his high school and telling stories of his friends reminiscing that night

(Dad's senior picture)

14. Dad telling me, "You're just like me, Tiffany, we're lovers in love with romance. When the romance dies, that's it." (I'm not sure I agree with him, but I appreciated his opinion.)
15. Every time dad ever called me baby girl - if the man in my life calls me that, well, I'm hooked
16. Dad coming to eat lunch with me while I was in elementary school and all of the single teachers flirting with him
17. His ability to tell stories, especially of his high school and college days - dad is and was the life of the party

(Pictured here with my brother, Brian)

(Pictured here with his sister, Lynn)

18. Dad in a suit - he's the reason that I love to see a man in a suit - the elegance, the confidence, the maturity of a suit isn't matched by anything else I've seen a man wear

19. Dad visiting me during my teenage years to take me to dinner and give me some money, basically driving 5 or 6 hours just for the chance to spend a couple of hours with me on my terms
20. Dad taking my daughter snipe hunting
21. When he drove me around all day helping me make arrangements for my mom's funeral after she died suddenly while he just happened to be visiting for the holidays
22. Teaching me how to fish but not making me touch the bait or the fish

23. When he defended my choice to get married to my mom and grandfather (it was a bad decision in retrospect, but Dad believed in my ability to choose)
24, Attending every graduation, major award, major performance, birthday, and Christmas even when he lived more than 3 hours away
25. Taking me to the beach for the first time (12 years old, Myrtle Beach, SC)

26. The philosophical discussions about education and even politics that we had once I was an adult
27. Lowder Logic - kind of a sick idea but surprisingly accurate
28. The time he caught me smoking cigarettes as a kid and said, "Tiff, you're not even smoking my brand, That hurts." (Remember, he worked for Philip Morris & no, he wasn't serious that that was what upset him.)
29. Singing "Oh Holy Night" and "Over the River" in the car for every holiday visit - at the top of his lungs with great fanfare (no, he didn't have a great voice, but he had great presence)
30. How proud he always was of me and how often he'd show his friends/colleagues my picture and tell stories about me, both as a child and an adult

I could probably come up with another 30 stories, but these are the ones that immediately came to mind. What are your favorite stories about your dad or about your children's father? I think this would make a great list for me to use when I start to make some layouts or a mini-album about my dad. Hmm, I think I need to get busy on this soon.